Page 2537 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 1 August 2018
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
researchers to track the effects of climate change on important ecosystems like coral reefs. The space industry feeds into so many other industries, helping meteorologists, geographers and the agricultural industry, to name but a few, to monitor soil, snow, drought, crop development and rainfall. These technologies allow us to better connect one with another.
Satellite communications can enable global connections and the sharing of expertise, helping aid workers and reaching people in rural areas otherwise overlooked and totally inaccessible. These technologies have greatly improved our abilities to understand the natural environment and connect with one another. I am really hopeful that Canberra may be the birthplace for some future good technological advances.
While technological advances are important, we should not get carried away. The large-scale funds which are being put into space exploration would go a long way towards fighting climate change and other social and environmental problems here on earth, such as the loss of biodiversity, poverty both here and abroad, and support for those seeking asylum. We cannot really think that we can solve the problems of the world by moving to another planet. Whatever problems we are creating here, the problems of human populations in outer space would be vastly greater, I think, despite having spent most of my childhood reading and enjoying science fiction.
On another less optimistic note, I am concerned about Ms Cheyne’s promotion of war industry companies such as Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin. These companies manufacture weapons that result in the deaths of many people. People all around the world should be reducing the amount of time and money that is spent on weapons manufacturing. Furthermore, we really should ensure that there is no Australian involvement in the militarisation or privatisation of space. Space should be for everybody and the peaceful use of space and related technologies should be stressed above all else.
The space sector is rapidly morphing and growing and we need to ensure that our regulatory system can keep up. This means up-to-date space laws. They should be negotiated internationally where required and promote access to the benefits of peaceful space technologies to all countries, not just wealthier countries such as our own.
Should Canberra become the national home of the Australian Space Agency, there is a bright opportunity for us to also become the national home, and possibly the international home, for space ethics. We already have the world’s highest concentration of space ethicists here in Canberra. I will admit that the sum total of these people is three; there is room for improvement.
The federal government’s policy of decentralisation is another issue to consider. As far as I know, they are not considering decentralisation into space as yet, but it is important that a national space agency in Canberra should remain in Canberra, staying in close contact with related departments, research hubs and the universities that Canberra is so lucky to have, and having a positive impact on the ACT economy. I, too, agree that Canberra should be the space capital. Canberra is the anchor of our
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video